Last update - 00:00 31/05/2007
Haredi leaders to police: We will not tolerate J'lem gay pride event
By Yair Ettinger and Jonathan Lis, Haaretz Correspondents
Ultra-Orthodox leaders Wednesday warned the police high command in Jerusalem that they would not tolerate another homosexual pride event in the city.
Jerusalem District Police Commander Major General Ilan Franco and his designated replacement, Major General Aharon Franco, met with leaders of the Jerusalem Badatz, the organization representing the interests of the ultra-Orthodox community.
The Badatz's offices are situated near the Shabat Square, where violent protests were held last November against a gay pride parade in the city.
In the meeting, the police officers informed the religious leaders that they were considering authorizing the Jerusalem Open House's (JOH) request to hold a gay pride parade next month. JOH is an organization that advocates homosexual rights.
The leaders of the Jerusalem Badatz replied that they would not tolerate even a "toned down" gay event. They claimed that following the events last November, Ilan Franco had promised he would prevent the gay community from staging future events.
They implored him to "end his tenure in a positive atmosphere" and threatened to "take various steps to prevent any sort of homosexual event from taking place."
Waiting for a police decision
Meanwhile, unknown parties have been distributing leaflets in Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox neighborhood Mea Shearim, calling for "devotion" and action aimed at preventing such an event from occurring.
For now, it seems the Eida Hareidit, the ultra-Orthodox fundamentalist faction leading the struggle against the events of the gay community, will refrain from any acts of violence, until its leaders determine the police's intentions on the matter.